Tell U.S. Employers: Your Employees Need More Sleep!

The U.S. can attribute $411 billion in economic losses each year to fatigued employees. We need more sleep!

Goal:30,000•Progress:408

Sponsored by:The Veterans Site

Between 50 and 70 million working Americans suffer from sleep or wakefulness disorder, and it's hurting us all.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked those drowsy millions to occupational disasters, higher susceptibility to chronic disease, and motor vehicle accidents--liabilities well beyond a lack of productivity.

A study by the RAND Corporation found that the United States can attribute up to $411 billion in economic losses each year to workers who aren't getting enough sleep. That amounts to a record of 1.23 million working days a year.

The U.S. is sadly a global leader in this area, along with Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada. Sleeplessness, whether it's caused by overwork, overstimulation, or associated health issues like sleep apnea, is a detriment to our health.

We demand the country's employers recognize the right of its workers to be healthy, and that includes the right to sleep.

There's no doubt that proper rest contributes to better decision-making, a healthier workforce, and higher productivity. In fact, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that reduced hours for workers in an intensive care unit, allowing for more sleep between shifts, led to significantly reduced critical errors. The medical staff studied made 35 percent more serious medical errors when working the longer schedule, with shifts up to 24 hours or more.

In France, the significance of a well-rested workforce has been indicated by law. Weekend emails from French employers were deemed illegal in May 2016.

The development of information and communication technologies, if badly managed or regulated, can have an impact on the health of workers, Article 25 of the El Khomri law states. Among them, the burden of work and the informational overburden, the blurring of the borders between private life and professional life, are risks associated with the usage of digital technology.

In the U.S., Aetna has incentivized sleep for its workers. CNBC reported that Chairman and CEO Merk Bertolini will pay any employee $25 a night, for up to $500 a year, to any worker that can sleep for seven or more hours in a row. This innovative program has been tested, and it works, Bertolini says, as proven by a more alert workforce, and higher productivity.

Examples like Aetna in the U.S. are few and far between, however. The rest of the country has a lot of catching up to do, and precedent needs to be set at the federal level.

Sign below to ask the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor to utilize this knowledge, to make sleep a priority and enact new standards that aim to benefit employer and employee alike.

Sign Here

Between 50 and 70 million working Americans suffer from sleep or wakefulness disorder, and it's hurting us all.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked those drowsy millions to occupational disasters, higher susceptibility to chronic disease, and motor vehicle accidents--liabilities well beyond a lack of productivity.

A study by the RAND Corporation found that the United States can attribute up to $411 billion in economic losses each year to workers who aren't getting enough sleep. That amounts to a record of 1.23 million working days a year.

The U.S. is sadly a global leader in this area, along with Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada. Sleeplessness, whether it's caused by overwork, overstimulation, or associated health issues like sleep apnea, is a detriment to our health.

I demand the country's employers recognize the right of its workers to be healthy, and that includes the right to sleep.

There's no doubt that proper rest contributes to better decision-making, a healthier workforce, and higher productivity. In fact, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that reduced hours for workers in an intensive care unit, allowing for more sleep between shifts, led to significantly reduced critical errors. The medical staff studied made 35 percent more serious medical errors when working the longer schedule, with shifts up to 24 hours or more.

In France, the significance of a well-rested workforce has been indicated by law. Weekend emails from French employers were deemed illegal in May 2016.

The development of information and communication technologies, if badly managed or regulated, can have an impact on the health of workers, Article 25 of the El Khomri law states. Among them, the burden of work and the informational overburden, the blurring of the borders between private life and professional life, are risks associated with the usage of digital technology.

In the U.S., Aetna has incentivized sleep for its workers. CNBC reported that Chairman and CEO Merk Bertolini will pay any employee $25 a night, for up to $500 a year, to any worker that can sleep for seven or more hours in a row. This innovative program has been tested, and it works, Bertolini says, as proven by a more alert workforce, and higher productivity.

Mr. Secretary, examples like Aetna are few and far between, however. The rest of the country has a lot of catching up to do, and precedent needs to be set at the federal level. I demand that you enact new standards that reflect this knowledge, that aim to benefit employer and employee alike by making sleep a priority.

Sincerely,

Petition Signatures

Feb 17, 2018MILLICENT VOLENTINE

Feb 13, 2018Kathi Aker

Feb 13, 2018gregory anderson

Feb 12, 2018Martha Kubik

Feb 9, 2018OSVALDO TOMAS

Feb 9, 2018Barry KatzYou can get more productivity out of a worker who gets more rest than working them to death with the traditional 8-5 workday short breaks and no flex hours. Reducing the work week by 1 hour per day might also help.

Feb 8, 2018Jodi CarlinI am a retired respiratory therapist. I worked in a hospital setting for 20 years. I cannot count the double shifts that I did to where I would be working 16 hours and expected to be back less than 8 hours after I left. A common practice in most hospital

Feb 8, 2018c. martinez

Feb 8, 2018Tonya Stafford

Feb 8, 2018Sheila Ward

Feb 8, 2018Karen Kaddatz

Feb 7, 2018Ruth Rogers

Feb 6, 2018Andrey YushchenkoI also like to sleep for a long time.

Feb 4, 2018Sieglinda Preez

Jan 25, 2018(Name not displayed)

Jan 20, 2018(Name not displayed)

Jan 14, 2018Sue Ellen Lupien

Jan 7, 2018(Name not displayed)

Jan 7, 2018Beth O'Brien

Jan 2, 2018Jodi Ford

Dec 17, 2017Karrie Vukelic

Dec 17, 2017Jacqueline Godbout

Dec 17, 2017Linda Longworth

Dec 15, 2017Stacey Govito

Dec 11, 2017A Martin

Dec 8, 2017Cat Thomas

Dec 7, 2017Dat Tran

Dec 7, 2017Cindy Stein

Dec 7, 2017Ken Stein

Nov 26, 2017Joe and Karen Lansdale

Nov 25, 2017(Name not displayed)

Nov 19, 2017CINDY COLLIER

Nov 16, 2017John Moszyk

Nov 15, 2017Beah Robinson

Nov 13, 2017Donna Noonan

Nov 12, 2017DayLynn McDonald

Nov 12, 2017Jelica Roland

Nov 10, 2017Vianney Ventura

Nov 1, 2017SleepyHead CENTRALSleepyHead CENTRAL strongly supports the Right to Sleep. Research data proves the economic burden of a sleep-deprived workforce. Workers who get enough sleep will not only perform better at work, but will be healthier and have fewer dangerous accidents.